Chapter 27: Intentions Part 1

Sheng Shubai stood beside her and looked at the painting the girl had just pointed to.

It was one from her fifteenth birthday.

At that time, she had gone camping on the tallest mountain in the neighboring city with a few childhood friends. The night view had been vast, and she painted it after returning.

She could have brushed past the memory in a couple of sentences, but since Lu Jia seemed very interested, Sheng Shubai deliberately elaborated a bit. After all, so many years had passed, and even if the memories hadn’t faded, they had become somewhat blurry.

Fortunately, this relatively lighthearted reminiscence interrupted her previous mood, and the earlier emotions no longer lingered.

Sheng Shubai couldn’t help but ruffle the hair of the girl in front of her.

She wasn’t sure if it was because emotions truly couldn’t be bottled up alone.

These past couple of days, with Lu Jia by her side, many of her gloomy feelings had surfaced, but they had only flickered briefly before passing.

In previous years, a few days before and after the anniversary of the death, she always sought out friends to drink with, inevitably recounting old stories.

Sheng Shubai didn’t even bother changing her usual curses about Song Lan. Ji Jinnian never minded her repeating the same old tales every year; she simply quietly accompanied her, drinking bottle after bottle.

Her alcohol tolerance couldn’t compare to her friend who could hold her liquor for a hundred cups. Every time, she ended up being dragged to the guest room to rest.

The next day, she always woke with a headache, her mind foggy.

Perhaps this year, with Lu Jia by her side, she had no desire to drink at all.

“I suddenly really want to know what you were like back then.”

Lu Jia bent down in front of the printing plate and studied it for a good while. Her fingertip twitched slightly, and the hand that had unconsciously reached out retracted in an instant.

The ink draft printed a sky full of stars, which on the printing plate became fine traces left by the tip of the carving knife.

They were sparse yet deliberate, seemingly aligned with the positions of the stars in the Milky Way.

Such meticulous care, yet with such a vast artistic conception.

She had lived in Linchang for over a decade, and on summer nights, she followed the elders in her family to identify constellations, finding it very familiar and warm.

Sheng Shubai let out a light laugh, as if she had heard something amusing. “Know the me from back then?”

Lu Jia’s voice was very soft. “Mm.”

She straightened up and glanced around at the surrounding works.

Although they differed from her own painting style, surprisingly, every one suited her taste.

Lu Jia had seen quite a few of Sheng Shubai’s watercolor pieces, all with bright and open tones, rarely any dim or obscure atmosphere.

Back then, she had only thought they were beautiful. Now, encountering them with her professional knowledge, she appreciated the artistic conception even more.

Now that Sheng Shubai naturally refused to touch printmaking anymore, Lu Jia couldn’t help but think that if she could know the her from back then and witness firsthand how she drew the line drafts and held the carving knife, that would be wonderful.

The woman, however, gave her an up-and-down look, her lips curving higher.

“Little Lu.”

Sheng Shubai unceremoniously pinched her cheek. Seeing the girl inexplicably flush at the ears and avert her eyes, refusing to meet her gaze, she found it utterly amusing.

She deliberately wanted to tease her and drawled, “When I was fifteen, had you even learned to read yet?”

“I probably had. I learned to read very early.”

Lu Jia thought seriously for a moment. “My family said I started drawing and reading at three.”

Sheng Shubai curved her eyes in praise. “So impressive?”

She then imagined that if she had met a little radish head not even reaching her waist at fifteen, with the exact same serious expression as now, she might have doubled over laughing.

She couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Lu Jia, what were you like as a kid? The same as now?”

Seeing Lu Jia’s face show a hint of hesitation, Sheng Shubai grew even more interested and pressed her for an answer.

“. . . Pretty much. Does Miss Sheng want to see?”

Normally, if anyone wanted to see her childhood photos, as long as they were somewhat close, Lu Jia wouldn’t hesitate much.

After all, her current appearance was right there; whether she had been pretty or not as a child was in the past.

But she suddenly remembered her friends teasing her that from childhood to now, she always had the face of a little pedant, looking like an adult trapped in a child’s body, with an indescribable sense of incongruity.

Lu Jia didn’t know what Sheng Shubai would think after seeing them.

Seeing the woman nod repeatedly with an expectant look, Lu Jia lowered her head, took out her phone. “There are some in the album.”

Sheng Shubai didn’t stand on ceremony. After Lu Jia unlocked it and flipped to the right album, she took it over. “Can I look through this album freely?”

Lu Jia mumbled, “Sure.”

They were indeed very cute, exactly as she had imagined.

Sheng Shubai had only flipped to the first page when she couldn’t help but chuckle. She held the phone up next to Lu Jia’s face.

“Hey, Lu Jia, don’t move.”

She opened the camera on her own phone and smiled brightly, gesturing to Lu Jia. “Make a peace sign, hold it at chest level. Perfect, don’t smile.”

Lu Jia paused for a moment but obediently let her manipulate her.

Who could resist when it was for imitating the childhood photo as a comparison memento?

Satisfied, Sheng Shubai put her phone away and lowered her head to continue flipping through the album.

Her original intention to keep admiring the works faded a bit. Lu Jia looked at the woman and paused. “Miss Sheng.”

Sheng Shubai didn’t look up, staring at the screen. “What’s up?”

“Since it’s a memento, shouldn’t you send me a copy?” she reminded.

Sheng Shubai waved her hand. “I’ll send it to you later.”

The album was sorted by time, and it was truly amusing.

If as a little kid she had been a tender sapling not yet so stiff, the occasional candid shots of her laughing were very cute, like a soft white dumpling that made one want to squeeze it.

A bit older, around eight or nine by the look, there were far fewer photos of her smiling.

By the time she flipped to junior high, the number of photos dropped sharply.

Sheng Shubai scanned the class graduation photo and found her in the school uniform, standing on the left of the second row. She couldn’t help but smile, her eyebrows curving.

From the photo’s setting, the sun had been blazing when the graduation picture was taken. Most students squinted more or less against the glare.

Only Lu Jia stood there quietly.

No smile, no extra expression. She simply lowered her eyes to the ground, naturally avoiding the light.

She gently poked Lu Jia’s arm. “Were you born not liking to smile?”

She had known the girl for so long now. Besides polite smiles to strangers, she occasionally smiled with her in private, but otherwise, Lu Jia’s lips formed a straight line.

Lu Jia thought for a moment. “Not really. I do smile.”

When the woman flipped back to the ones from when she was seven or eight, she looked away. “I had missing teeth then, so my smile didn’t look good.”

Sheng Shubai leaned in closer, pressing Lu Jia’s lip corners upward with light force. “You’re so pretty now. You should smile more.”

The touch was very gentle, and the woman was very close.

The dimming evening light cast from behind, outlining her in a faint halo.

Lu Jia stiffened uncomfortably for a moment.

When the woman withdrew her hand, she lowered her eyes and softly replied, “Okay.”

After flipping through the photos, Sheng Shubai handed the phone back. “I was quite the smiler as a kid.”

She glanced sideways at the girl. “Sorry, I suddenly realized that my idea of ‘childhood’ is also stuff from when I was sixteen or seventeen.”

She lifted her chin, gesturing for Lu Jia to look at the wooden photo frame upside down on the nearby stand.

“There, that’s it.”

Seeing the girl look over with a hesitant expression but not moving, Sheng Shubai simply took it down and handed it to Lu Jia.

Lu Jia lowered her eyes to examine it closely.

The photo showed three people: the youthful Sheng Shubai and Sheng Shuyun, and… someone she hadn’t seen before, a young woman with an exceptionally gentle aura.

She already knew who this was.

“The one on the far right is my little aunt.”

Sheng Shubai spoke first, looking at Sheng Ling in the frame, her tone neutral.

Yesterday at the cemetery, the Sheng Ling she had seen was also in a photo frame, but it had been black and white.

This was a photo of Sheng Shubai at seventeen, taken right in this display room.

At that time, it coincided with the biennial rearrangement of the display room. Sheng Shuyun and Sheng Ling had rarely both returned, so she dragged them to take a group photo.

“Do all the people in your family look this pretty?”

Lu Jia studied it carefully and said earnestly, “Yesterday, the first time I saw President Sheng, I thought her appearance would suit being painted too.”

She lowered her head to look at the frame in her hands, not noticing the woman beside her slightly narrowed eyes, and continued straightforwardly, “Her temperament matches a serene night scene. Actually, I got inspiration for a draft last night, but I was afraid she’d mind.”

“What, one inspiration isn’t enough?”

Sheng Shubai gave her a sideways glance.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Hearing the woman’s words, Lu Jia explained seriously. “I just usually store fragments in my memory when I see people suitable for painting as material.”

“What about me? Am I material too?”

The calm tone fell into her ears, but Lu Jia inexplicably felt there was deeper meaning in it.

She set down the frame and looked at the woman beside her. “Not material.”

Sheng Shubai gazed back steadily, her thin lips parting lightly, her words carrying a faint probing intent. “So, what am I?”

But she saw the girl curve her eyes, her tone utterly matter-of-fact. “Aren’t we in a partnership?”

Her gaze flickered, and after a few seconds, Sheng Shubai let out a very soft laugh.

“Mm, you’re right.”

—

They had spent a long time in several exhibition halls during the day, and by the time they arrived at the Sheng Family Old Mansion that day, it was already evening.

Lu Jia hadn’t planned to wander much, only intending to look more at Sheng Shubai’s works. Nine o’clock passed, and night had deepened.

When her mind was filled with all sorts of prints and she prepared to follow the woman back to their lodging, she spotted Sheng Shuyun in the hall once again.

Lu Jia turned her head to look at the woman beside her, but the latter appeared perfectly calm, as if she had known the other would come.

“Let’s go.”

Sheng Shubai took Lu Jia’s hand.

Under her older sister’s meaningful gaze, Sheng Shubai had no intention of letting go. She tilted her head and softly explained to Lu Jia, “We’re going to my sister’s place first. There’s something to discuss.”

Villa, living room.

“I met with Professor Rong today.”

Sheng Shuyun got straight to the point, her hands crossed on her knees. “During the day, I took some time to talk to her about Shen Zhiwei.”

The moment her mentor’s name was mentioned, Lu Jia sat up straight.

The next second, Sheng Shubai pushed a cup of tea toward her and brushed the back of the girl’s hand, signaling her not to be nervous.

“She agreed to help us keep an eye on things.”

Sheng Shuyun continued. “But without any conditions. She even refused the reward I offered.”

She had heard about her younger sister and this colleague’s relationship.

But since it concerned Sheng Ling, she had gone with full sincerity today. Unexpectedly, the other first frowned and refused, but after she vaguely outlined the past events, she crisply agreed.